Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to "It just so happens that the Moon s the best place to find those asteroids and comets"

re: "It just so happens that the Moon s the best place to find those asteroids and comets"
nick hoffman — (archived)

As an exercise, it might be useful for EP to consider the cost of setting up an observatory at the south pole of the Earth, where there is 6 months of darkness, high elevation and thin dry air.

Similar problems exist as for the south pole of the Moon - getting equipment and manpower to such a remote spot, working in a harsh environment, extremes of cold, and the supply of power.

The solutions are far easier on Earth, since the atmosphere allows one to burn hydrocarbon fuels to generate power, and the workers can *almost* breathe the naked atmosphere. There is a 6-month daylight season for construction, and humanity has over a century of accumulated experience in operating in this environment.

The cost would be an order of magnitude less, at least, than trying the same thing on the Moon. The results would be similar, the operating costs at least 2 orders of magnitude less.

And it would STILL be a dumb place to build a grand observatory. Hawaii sweeps the whole heavens once a year, and any 180 degree segment of it once a day. Operating costs there are a fraction of those for the South Pole. Add another such facitilty on Kilimanjaro, and you'd have near-24 hour coverage.

The only thing needed beyond that is to have an observatory that complements Earth's position in orbit and gives a view of segments of the heavens that are obscured by the Sun. For that, the Moon is of no value at all since it shares Earth's orbit. A free-orbiting space asset is required...

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